Tigers-Yankees Game 1 Postponed By Rain Until Saturday

Mother nature clearly didn’t see that Friday night’s pitching matchup for Game 1 of the ALDS between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers was supposed to be one of the best we have ever seen in the postseason. She couldn’t hold off the torrential downpours and the opening games of this series will be finished on Saturday.

Joe Torre explained to TBS that there is a rule that says every postseason game has to be completed from start to finish. As a result, the first game of this series will be continued on Saturday at the regular start time. While it knocks the aces for both teams, it may throw the pitching momentum towards the Tigers. Detroit is scheduled to send Doug Fister to the hill against the Yankees’ Ivan Nova on Saturday. Fister has established him as a legitimate starter in the league, while Nova is still very young. If Fister keeps pitching well, the Tigers have a very good shot at starting the series off with a win.
Detroit answered the question of who will now pitch on Sunday very quickly. Max Scherzer, originally scheduled to start Game 3, will now pitch on Sunday and Justin Verlander will pitch on Monday. If the Yankees follow suit, Verlander will be facing CC Sabathia in the friendly confines of Comerica Park and the Yankees could be forced to throw Nova twice.

Pitching matchups may be the least of Major League Baseball’s concerns though. Saturday and Sunday’s forecast is not much brighter as it calls for more rain. If either of those games are postponed or rained out, baseball will have a scheduling mess on its hands. Jim Leyland’s decision to keep Brad Penny on the roster may not be a terrible one now, as he could be called on to start if there is another delay.